Thank you for visiting our Garden Center

Message from Brian J. Wheat, CEO and 3rd generation owner: Since our humble beginnings in 1949, we’ve worked hard for generations to build a quality reputation, to be good stewards of our earth and nurture relationships. We strive to help gardeners from beginners to seasoned pro’s. It’s our daily commitment to partner with you and help make our community beautiful…one garden at a time.

Making our community beautiful, one garden at a time

#ourrootsrundeep

What’s happening to the Greenhouses…

Lafayette Florist is a mid-size florist and garden center. Like many small, family businesses in this economy, we struggle to make ends meet. In our case, we have lots of greenhouse space that goes unused for nine months of the year. There are large costs associated with carrying this unused area. There are heating, cooling and maintenance issues, along with large property tax bills.

Over the last year, our Chief Executive Officer Brian Wheat has been looking at the many options of what to do with this excess space. Lease it? Sell it? Then, there is the historic side to our story.

About 70 years ago, our grandparents Yasutaro and Kate Yoshihara purchased this land. After being released from a Japanese relocation camp in southern Colorado and having to start a new life, they chose the exact spot we are sitting on today. Our parents, Gene and Evelyn Yoshihara worked all their lives building greenhouse facilities, shipping carnation cut flowers across the country and creating an award-winning florist.

Today, we continue to evolve. Our south greenhouses are being leased to Front Range Biosciences who have created a state-of-the-art lab and greenhouses producing clean tissue cultures of organic hemp. Our large east greenhouses are cultivating hemp starts. These plants will be sent to Colorado farmers each spring.

Why hemp?

Hemp is NOT marijuana. They both come from the cannabis family, however hemp is genetically different. Hemp contains NO THC – it cannot get you “high.”

Hemp is processed differently and is used for thousands of common applications. There are three parts to the hemp seed. The nut or outer shell is used for breads, granola, cereals, milk and protein powders. The oil from the seed is used for body products, cosmetics and safer paints. The oil from hemp, called CBD oil is used medicinally and helps with arthritis, seizures and many other ailments. The cake of the hemp seed is used for flour and animal food. The stalk of the plant can also be valuable used in mulch, chemical absorbant, fiber board, insulation and concrete.

Farmers love hemp. It’s the perfect crop for rotating in their fields, breathes CO2, detoxifies the soil and prevents erosion. Hemp requires less water than traditional crops and requires fewer pesticides, being better for the environment.

Lafayette Florist has chosen to partner with hemp growers for many reasons.

It will keep our greenhouses active 12 months out of the year, employing dozens of local workers and supporting their families

Hemp is bringing the American Farmer back! We love family farm land!

CBD oils have a multitude of medicinal uses and can be found in the

all-natural section of the grocery store. Hemp lotions, shampoos and an array of other uses are widely available. Our neighboring pet stores are offering CBD in their pet foods. It’s an all-natural alternative for pain.

Hemp is legal. It contains NO THC, the psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana. In fact, our greenhouses go through regular testing to make sure no THC exists in the crops.

Lafayette Florist has been serving this community since 1949. Our roots run deep. We have raised our families here, we support our local organizations like Meals on Wheels and Sister Carmen Center. Our CEO and past president served in our military and are veterans. We support our local VFW, our local schools and many other local organizations. We employ over 25 local citizens and help support their families. Our business needs to continue to prosper – so we can continue to support the community who has supported us for so many decades.

We Love Our Community!

Other resources:

Senator Mitch McConnell believes that hemp will bring his state’s agriculture community back.